PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE

PLAN OF MANAGEMENT 2005 Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory PO Box 344 Katherine NT 0851

BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE Plan of Management 2005

ISBN N. 0 7245 4866 1 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management

CONTENTS

1 BACKGROUND ...... 1

1.1 Location and Tenure...... 1

1.2 General description...... 4

1.3 Key Values of the Park ...... 12

1.4 Concept of the Park and its Purposes...... 14

1.5 Regional Context...... 15

2. MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL VALUES ...... 18

2.1 Flora ...... 18 2.1.1 Value ...... 18 2.1.2 Management Objective ...... 18 2.1.3 Background ...... 18 2.1.4 Management Actions ...... 20

2.2. Fauna ...... 20 2.2.1 Value ...... 20 2.2.2 Management objectives...... 20 2.2.3 Background ...... 20 2.2.4 Management Actions ...... 21

3. MANAGEMENT OF VISITOR VALUES ...... 22

3.1 Visitor Use...... 22 3.1.1 Value ...... 22 3.3.2 Management objectives...... 22 3.1.3 Background ...... 22 3.1.4 Management actions...... 22

4. KEY NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ...... 23

4.1 Fire Management Program...... 23 4.1.1 Management Objectives ...... 23 4.1.2 Management Directions ...... 23

4.2 Weed Management Program...... 24 4.2.1 Management Objective ...... 24 4.2.2 Management Directions ...... 24

4.3 Exotic Animal Species Control Program ...... 24 4.3.1 Management Objective ...... 24 4.3.2 Management Directions ...... 24

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. i 5. PARK ADMINISTRATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ...... 25

5.1. General Administration ...... 25 5.1.1 Management Objectives ...... 25 5.1.2 Management Directions ...... 25

5.2 Stakeholder Engagement ...... 26 5.2.1 Management Objectives ...... 26 5.2.2 Management Directions ...... 26

6. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM...... 27

7. REFERENCES...... 28

Appendices

Appendix One: Vegetation mapping for Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve ...... 31 Appendix Two: List of vertebrate species recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve...... 33 Appendix Three: Flora recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve...... 37

Maps

Map One: Location of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve ...... 3 Map Two: Neighbouring Land Tenure ...... 6 Map Three: Distribution of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) and bullwaddy (Macropteranthes kekwickii) vegetation communities in the Northern Territory ...... 7 Map Four: Bioregions of the Katherine Region...... 16

Figures

Figure One: Comparison between a eucalypt savanna and bullwaddy/lancewood woodland...... 2 Figure Two: Suggested trends in vegetation cover over time...... 5 Figure Three: Mihirung...... 8 Figure Four: Macropteranthes kekwickii (from Pedley, 1990)...... 9 Figure Five: Bullwaddy thicket (from Adams, 1999)...... 15

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. ii MANAGEMENT OF BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE

1 BACKGROUND

1.1 Location and Tenure

Northern Australia has one of the last great tracts of undisturbed tropical savanna left on earth, an area that extends across one-quarter of our continental landmass. This area is characterised by extreme weather conditions with distinct wet and dry seasons. Pastoralism is the dominant land use, Aboriginal, mining, tourism, nature conservation and military use are also prominent (Karfs et al., 2000).

The tropical savanna of the Northern Territory’s Top End is divided into a number of distinct regions. Within the Katherine region, wedged between the Victoria River District to the west and the Gulf region to the east lies the Sturt Plateau, a predominantly flat erosional plain dominated by savanna woodlands of mixed eucalypts with a perennial grass understorey and open woodlands on clay soil floodplains. The region is primarily involved in agricultural production and is considered to have reasonable economic potential (Karfs et al., 2000).

Eucalypt forests and woodlands, which dominate about 95% of Australia, are by far the most extensive plant communities throughout the Sturt Plateau, followed by Acacia woodlands which are dominated primarily by Acacia shirleyi (lancewood). Compared to eucalypt savanna woodlands, which typically have a sparse canopy, a dense tall grass understorey supporting seed-eating birds and exposure to frequent fire, Acacia woodlands vary markedly. Within the Sturt Plateau these woodlands often occur with the restricted, Northern Territory endemic plant, Macropteranthes kekwickii (bullwaddy) interspersed as either a co-dominant or dominant species. These woodlands typically have a dense shady shrub layer, a few vines and creepers and little in the way of grass understorey (Figure One).

The conservation of Acacia woodlands is severely under represented with less than 1% conserved in the Territory and 3% nationally (Bureau of Rural Sciences, 2004). Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve represents the only declared conservation area within the Sturt Plateau region of the lancewood/bullwaddy vegetation type. Although the southern portion of Elsey National Park falls within the Sturt Plateau region, it does not contain representative samples of the Acacia woodlands found in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. As such the Reserve is alone in its protection of this unique vegetation type. Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve (NT Portion 5680) is located approximately 100 kms east of Daly Waters along the Carpentaria Highway (Map One). The Reserve is approximately 115 square kilometres and was relinquished from Amungee Mungee Station in May 1999. The Reserve was declared under section 12 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act on November 2, 2000. The tenure of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve is freehold land held by the Northern Territory.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 1 Eucalypt savanna woodland

Sparse canopy

Few stems

More frequent fire

Dense tall grass with more seed eating birds

Lancewood/bullwaddy woodland

Vines and creepers

Many small reptiles such as geckoes on trunks Dense cool shrub layer under canopy

Ground feeding insectivorous birds Little grass

Figure One: Comparison between a eucalypt savanna and lancewood/ bullwaddy woodland

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 2 BULLWADDY CONSERVATION RESERVE DARWIN LOCATION MAP # Pin e # KATHER INE # Creek S # T U KAKADU A R NATIONAL T NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK PARK

TENNANTCREEK# KATHERINE # GULF OF FLORA RIVER Roper Bar HIG HW ELS EY CARPENTARIA NATURE PARK A # Y Y NATIONAL A HW Mat aranka # PARK HIG ALICE SPR IN GS # P RO ER Y A W H G I H NT LOCATION MAP Area of Interest Timber Creek Bing Bong # # IA BARRANYI VICTO R S (NORTH ISLAND) T U NATIONAL PARK A

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E Elliot Parks and Wildlife Commission NT. JUNE 2001 D Highway # H N T LO NGR EAC H Datum: AGD66 R

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Map One: Location of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 3 Surrounding land tenure includes Amungee Mungee Station (NT Portion 1079) to the north, south and west, and Tanumbirini Station (NT Portion 701) to the east (Map Two).

For visitors travelling along the Carpentaria Highway, which links the Stuart Highway near the township of Daly Waters with Borroloola, roadside reserves managed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, such as Bullwaddy and Caranbirini Conservation Reserve provide welcome respite.

These Conservation Reserves have been primarily established for the protection of specific habitat and for scientific study and as such are equipped only with infrastructure for day use activities such as short walks, picnic lunches and wildlife appreciation. The majority of visitors to Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve are embarking on a trip through the Gulf region, perhaps continuing on to Queensland or travelling from the Gulf region through the Top End, having entered the Northern Territory from Queensland.

1.2 General description

The average rainfall for the Sturt Plateau is 640 mm, although annual falls fluctuate between 500 mm and 800 mm. Nearly all the rainfall occurs in the months between November and March. The Sturt Plateau is characterised by shallow infertile soils on a lateritic land surface. The majority of the area, particularly the areas supporting lancewood/bullwaddy communities, is comprised of a remnant Tertiary lateritic plateau: an ancient Tertiary landscape that has been eroded away almost everywhere else in the Northern Territory. This remnant plateau serves as a reminder of how the Northern Territory would have appeared in the past. The area supports large fragmented stands of bullwaddy (M. kekwickii), which favours the lateritic soils, often dominated by lancewood (A. shirleyi).

Acacia woodlands were identified in the Parks and Wildlife Commission Masterplan (1996) as areas of high priority due to their poor representation in the park estate. The Masterplan identified the need to acquire more of this vegetation type due to current inadequate representation. Although stands of lancewood are currently marginally conserved in Gregory National Park to the west, Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve which also conserves lancewood, is primarily targeted at the protection of bullwaddy stands. The Reserve is an area of high conservation value and represents a major stronghold for this restricted, Northern Territory endemic plant species.

In order to meet national and Territory standards regarding the conservation of representative natural areas, the acquisition of a variety of Acacia woodland communities is imperative. Although the ecology of Acacia woodlands is quite well known, the majority of scientific investigation has been conducted in the Territory’s south where Acacia communities are dominated by mulga (A. aneura) (Fisher, 1997).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 4 KALALA NUTWOOD DOWNS # DALY NT Por 697 NT Por 1513 WATERS TANUMBIRINI

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HAYFIELD KATHER IN E Bullwaddy Conservation # CONSERVATION RESERVE NT Por 1077 Reserve Highway NEIGHBOURING LAND TENURE Road TENNANTCREEK# Map Produced by: Track Strategic Planning and Development Unit

ALI CE SPR IN GS# Parks and Wildlife Commission NT. JUNE 2001 NEWCASTLE N WATERS Source: Datum: AGD66 10 0 10 NT Por 2093 Topographic, Cadastral and Road Centreline data Projection: UTM Zone 53 obtained from the Department of Lands, Planning NT LOCATION MAP Project Location: and Environment. Area of Interest d:\requests\bullwaddy\bullwaddy_conres.apr KILOMETRES

Map Two: Neighbouring Land Tenure

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 5 The ecology of lancewood/bullwaddy woodlands

With an increase in the frequency of fire and aridity in Australia during the late Tertiary period, fast growing species such as grasses started to colonise the landscape, dominating the existing rainforests in the large open areas created by changed fire regimes. These grasses in turn increased the fuel loads generating more fire and the gradual selection of fire-resistant species. Prior to the dominance of eucalypts, acacias and grasses, vegetation which is now represented by fire- sensitive communities in fire shadows and as remnant patches, dominated the landscape (Figure Two) (Murray and Vickers-Rich, 2004).

Figure Two: Suggested trends in vegetation cover over time (taken from Adams, 1999).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 6 These fire-sensitive thicket and vine forest communities, such as the lancewood/ bullwaddy woodlands are a unique Gondwanan remnant, descendents of the once dominant rainforests of the Australian Tertiary period. Bullwaddy communities are often referred to as dry jungles or rainforests, because of this association. They are extremely well adapted to the uncertain rainfall of the dry tropics, surviving in run-on areas (depressions or lower slopes) and tolerating floods (Latz, 1995).

Within Australia, bullwaddy communities are found in a patchy, disjunct belt across the southern part of the semi-arid zone. The species is primarily restricted to the Sturt Plateau but is also represented in the Gulf region to the east and eastern fringe of the Victoria River District to the west (Map Three). Bullwaddy typically occurs in association with various species of forbs, twiners, vines, dry ferns and mosses, generally from the Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae and Malvaceae families (Brocklehust, 1991).

Map Three: Distribution of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) and bullwaddy (Macropteranthes kekwickii) vegetation communities in the northern NT. The map shows the outline of the Sturt Plateau bioregion. Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and other major conservation areas managed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission are also represented (from Fisher, unpublished data).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 7 Fossil evidence suggests that during the period when fire sensitive communities such as bullwaddy were more widespread, these communities co-evolved with now extinct large, highly mobile vertebrates. Some of these vertebrates were members of the extinct giant flightless bird family, Dromornithidae. These birds, named Mihirungs, were goose-like herbivores, more than likely subsisting on foliage and fruits, and were endemic to Australia (Figure Three). These species became extinct due to their extreme specialisation, changes in the continent’s fire regime leading to a contraction of the forests which sustained them and increased aridity, which affected all large browsers by increasing the distance between food resources (Murray and Vickers- Rich, 2004). Conversely, increased fire favoured the grass lovers, such as macropods and emus.

The Mihirungs may have been the key dispersal agents for the seeds of many species within these relict communities due to their large dispersal range. These “missing herbivores” may be responsible for what is now considered to be “haphazard and anachronistic” seed dispersal within these communities. Today, many of these edible fruit and seed bearing species such as Marsdenia australis, Carissa lanceolata and Capparis lasiantha appear to have inadequate dispersal mechanisms with many seeds simply accumulating at the base of the parent tree or rotting on the ground (Murray and Vickers-Rich, 2004). Figure Three: Mihirung (from Flora Murray and Vickers-Rich, 2004) The genus Macropteranthes

The genus Macropteranthes belongs in the family Combretaceae, which is composed of twenty genera, encompassing around 500 species. The majority of species are trees, shrubs and lianes. Within Australia there are five genera and over 30 species, including the more commonly known genus Terminalia (Pedley, 1990 and Watson and Dallwitz, 1992).

The name Macropteranthes comes from the Greek words macros, pteron and anthos meaning large, wing and flower respectively, referring to the two large wing-like bracteoles at the base of the calyx, and persisting on the fruit. Within the genus there are five species all of which are found in northern Australia. Only one species, M. kekwickii, is found in the Northern Territory, the four remaining species M. fitzalanii, M. leichhardtii, M. leiocaulis and M. montana are all found in Queensland, predominantly along the northeastern coastline.

Macropteranthes kekwickii was first described from plants growing near Newcastle Waters in the Northern Territory in the early 1860s. The species name was assigned to honour William Kekwick who was employed on a number of expeditions to help John McDouall Stuart with his survey work in southern and northern Australia. The species is classified as a deciduous small-leaved tree, growing to six metres, with short branchlets. The appearance of bullwaddy thickets during the dry season has been equated to “a bunch of dead sticks” as the leaves fall from the branchlets, giving the impression the plant has died (Latz, 1995). During the wet season as the leaves return, the foliage and growth create almost impenetrable thickets that are

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 8 difficult to traverse. The leaves are spirally arranged and usually densely crowded. Flowers are often paired (Figure Four).

b) fruit

a)Branchlet with fruit c) flower

Figure Four: Macropteranthes kekwickii (from Pedley, 1990)

Bullwaddy is listed under section 29 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 as of ‘least concern’. The classifications used under this Act follow the IUCN coding of species under threat. The category of ‘least concern’ is reserved for all species that are either widespread or common and cannot be categorised as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened or data deficient.

Fauna

Although Russell-Smith (1991) links the lancewood/bullwaddy vegetation type to monsoon rainforest communities further north, the vertebrate species that have been recorded within lancewood/bullwaddy communities do not reflect this linkage. There is also no apparent specific vertebrate community associated with this vegetation type. It has been noted though, that when greater percentages of bullwaddy are found in association with lancewood the occurrence of certain vertebrate species increases as does the diversity (Brocklehurst, 1991).

Three ground-foraging birds have shown a clear association with lancewood and bullwaddy thickets in this region – the apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), hooded robin (Melanodryas cucullata picata) and grey-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis). Lancewood/bullwaddy communities can form dense forests, with little

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 9 understorey aside from ferns and mosses allowing these three bird species to forage specifically for invertebrates in associated leaf litter and bare ground. This foraging behaviour is quite unique, as the dense grass understorey found in most other forests and woodland communities of the Top End prevents species from foraging in this way. Not one of these species is currently of conservation concern in the Northern Territory (Woinarski and Fisher, 1995).

The spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus leichardtii) is unusually abundant in bullwaddy thickets. This species uses the stands to shelter in during the day and feeds around the edges at night.

Other vertebrate groups such as frogs and bats have not been comprehensively surveyed to date and further investigation is warranted.

Vegetation mapping

Vegetation mapping was undertaken by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in 2001 using satellite imagery and floristic information collected during survey work within Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. Seven broad community types were mapped according to topography, soil type, dominant species and structure (see Appendix One for description of map units):

Bullwaddy/lancewood thickets Marginal mixed woodland Dense bullwaddy/lancewood forest High cover woodland Open bullwaddy/lancewood forest Drainage areas Corymbia dichromophloia woodlands (Fisher, unpublished data)

Detailed mapping of areas of high conservation value and land types, based on landform, nature of the soil surface, vegetation type, structure, density and evidence of fire has been undertaken in the Sturt Plateau area.

Day et al (1985) also mapped 19 land units for the area. Eight of the 19 land units identified comprise gently sloping to almost level plains and four comprise alluvial plains on the Sturt Plateau itself. The remaining seven described dissected high plateau remnants, southern margins and undulating terrain below the Sturt Plateau.

Day et al (1985) classified Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve under the Bulwaddy (By) and Lancewood (Ld) land units, both of which contain varying amounts of bullwaddy/lancewood vegetation complexes. These vegetation units are predominantly found on shallow lithosols, gravelly red and yellow earths and lateritic podzolic soils.

Pastoral and Aboriginal history

Aboriginal history

There are two Aboriginal groups associated with the area surrounding Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. The Alawa people traditionally lived in the areas now known as Nutwood Downs, Tanumbirini, Hodgson River and Hodgson Downs (Minyerri). The Jingili people were found further south-west, incorporating Beetaloo Station to the north and Helen Springs/Renner Springs to the south.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 10 Aboriginal people were heavily involved in the work undertaken on nearby cattle stations during the first half of the 1900s. Many Aboriginal people showed great skill in the horse arena and were valued members of the station community. Areas such as OT Downs and Amungee Mungee (which were historically part of Beetaloo Station) and Tanumbirini Station housed substantial numbers of Aboriginal families. Many station owners provided work, food and shelter for Aboriginal people and were much respected (Raymond, pers.comm).

Although there was a great amount of bush tucker to be found in the area, Aboriginal people did not venture deeply into the area now known as Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. The dense vegetation may have provided protection from the weather and opportunistic hunting, but in terms of nutrition, bullwaddy has little value. Amungee Mungee waterhole which lies just outside the current Reserve boundary was a valued food source providing Aboriginal people with ducks and other waterfowl. Spears were used for hunting around and within the waterhole. This area also lies in a flood plain and was accessed mainly during the dry season.

Aboriginal people had a variety of uses for bullwaddy stems and trunks. It has historically been used for the production of clap sticks, nulla nullas, boomerangs and heads for hooked or barbed spears. The heavy, dense wood is also valued as firewood as it burns slowly and evenly and produces lasting coals (Wightman et al, 1992).

Further to the west of Amungee Mungee waterhole is an area of great significance to the local Jingili people. The area is a sacred site and may form part of a dreaming trail which travels from Amungee Mungee waterhole then further west to Hayfield Station, east to Sandy Lagoon and Cow Lagoon (on Billengarah) to Anamaloon and back to Beetaloo. The area around Amungee Mungee waterhole was used to sing initiation songs for young men. Unfortunately there are no traditional elders left to speak for this country and dreaming trail (Raymond, pers.comm).

Pastoral history

Following the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1873, land speculation was rife in the area now known as the Northern Territory. The area of land around Daly Waters was taken up but never improved or stocked. This was in main due to the bands of impenetrable lancewood and bullwaddy thickets that crossed the area. This along with a lack of permanent surface waterholes made the country a tenuous prospect for pastoralists. By 1889 all of the blocks which had been taken up were surrendered due to cancellation or non payment of rent (SAGG, 1889).

Harold Murray Bathern alias ‘Bullwaddy Bates’ had come to the Northern Territory in 1883 as a drover bringing cattle to establish Brunette Downs. George Bostock managed Eva Downs to the north west with Harry Bates as head stockman. Seasons were hard due to the lack of water which necessitated the walking of cattle to OT waterhole on the head of the Limmen Bight River on an annual basis (Chambers, 1998).

Bates and Bostock moved north to Beetaloo which surrounded a large permanent waterhole known as Aramangu. As was the practice of the time Bates and Bostock mustered wherever there were cattle in a vast land without fences and very few people. Bostock grew tired of the continual shortage of water and walked off leaving the property to Bates (Chambers, 1998). By the early 1930s Bates had permanently moved to the head of the Limmen Bight River forming OT Downs.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 11 On Harry Bates’ death, Peter Bostock, son of George Bostock ran the property for a time with workers contracting out to individual stations across the Gulf and Barkly Tablelands (Raymond, pers comm.). OT Downs pastoral lease lapsed and people gradually moved back to the regional center of Elliot.

Nutwood Downs to the north was formed by John and Phoebe Farrar, from north of the Roper River where they had been part of John Costello’s vast pastoral empire Valley of the Springs between 1883- 1890 (James, 1989). Tanumbirini was one of the next areas to be taken up and in 1906 Dan O’Mara, whose name would later be corrupted to form the name Dunmarra, came over from Camooweal and took over management of Tanumbirini. In 1933 Noel Healy purchased Milner’s Lagoon Station and established Dunmarra and the Dunmarra Roadhouse (Miller, 1984).

In 1968, the block of land now known as Amungee Mungee Station was offered under a ballot system that was won by Jeff and Cooee Hill. At that stage, Jeff Hill was working at Elizabeth Station near the township of Litchfield. In 1971 Jeff and Cooee Hill took up the Amungee Mungee lease which he renamed Cooee Hills after his wife. Jeff Hill fenced, dug bores and stocked the property with 1250 head of cattle, but after the death of his son in 1977, he and his wife moved back to Queensland (Hill, 2003).

Ownership then moved to Molly and Reg Hartig, until Reg’s death in 1981. Together with his wife who died in 2000, Reg Hartwig was buried on Amungee Mungee Station.

The station is currently used as an alternative, more reliable transit route out of the Gulf region for cattle during and post wet season. Approval has been granted for the present owner to commence land clearing for the introduction of improved pasture to increase carrying capacity.

1.3 Key Values of the Park

The primary value of the Reserve is natural/scientific and to a lesser extent educational/recreational. Specific management objectives will be identified for each value (see sections 3, 9 and 10).

Natural/scientific value

The Reserve’s most significant natural values lie in the flora and associated fauna. Of particular interest is furthering the Parks and Wildlife Commission’s knowledge of the ecology of bullwaddy (M. kekwickii). Survey work undertaken in 2001 has developed a fine scale vegetation map, provided an inventory of the Reserve’s fauna and flora, and established a baseline to consider the effects of fire on bullwaddy.

Flora

Within Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve there are five plant species listed under section 29 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 as ‘data deficient’. Data deficient is a term reserved for species known from few locations for which there is currently not enough information on population sizes, trends and threats for accurate classification. These species are:

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 12  Lepturus xerophilus a delicate annual grass, growing to 20cm, occurring occasionally under bullwaddy. This species is conserved only in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and known from only four locations which all fall within the Sturt Plateau;

 Centipeda nidiformis an annual daisy, growing to 15cm. Although this species occurs in all mainland Australian states, its distribution is disjunct in the Northern Territory. Centipeda nidiformis is conserved only in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve (also conserved in the federally managed Kakadu National Park);

 Paspalidium gracile a fine annual grass, growing to 20cm. It is conserved only in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and known from only five locations which all fall within the north east Sturt Plateau region;

 Yakirra muelleri a slender grass, growing to 25 cm. This species is conserved also in Nitmiluk National Park, and

 Panicum latzii an erect annual grass which grows on clay soils. This species is conserved only in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and known from only two NT locations.

The prostrate, herbaceous vine, Ipomoea argillicola is listed as ‘near threatened’ under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. This category is reserved for those situations where a species, in both abundance and number of populations, falls outside the threatened categories but would need to suffer only a minimum loss to qualify. This loss need not be considered pending. Ipomoea argillicola is also conserved in Connells Lagoon Conservation Reserve east of Tennant Creek (Fisher, unpublished data).

Fauna

There are three animal species listed under section 29 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 as ‘near threatened’. These species are:

Burhinus grallarius Bush stone-curlew;

Lagorchestes conspicillatus Spectacled hare-wallaby;

Onychogalea unguifera Northern nailtail wallaby.

Two species are listed as ‘data deficient’ under section 29 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000:

Varanus tristis Black tailed goanna;

Cyclorana australis Giant frog.

These two species are listed because of uncertainty regarding the impacts of the introduced cane toad, Bufo marinus.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 13 The Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) is the only species listed as ‘vulnerable’ within the Reserve. This category is used to list species that are threatened in the wild. Best evidence indicates that these species are facing a high risk of extinction if present trends continue (IUCN, 2001). The highly mobile habits of the Australian bustard mean although this species has been recorded in a number of parks and reserves, very few of these contain breeding populations or populations that are permanent throughout the year.

Educational/recreational value

Although the main focus of the Reserve will be the continued research and monitoring of bullwaddy communities, the Reserve will also provide a road-side stop featuring interpretation panels, picnic tables and a short walk to identify vegetation of conservation significance. The Reserve provides an opportunity to inform and educate visitors about the significance of various vegetation units and the reason for the establishment of the Reserve.

1.4 Concept of the Park and its Purposes

The declaration of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve complies with the Parks and Wildlife Commission’s aim to:

 conserve representative natural areas;  protect all species of native flora and fauna, and  maintain biodiversity within the Northern Territory.

One measure of the significance of individual parks, and the resilience of the Commission’s park system as a whole, is the extent to which parks uniquely represent any of the Territory’s 13 broad and 112 fine vegetation groups mapped for the Northern Territory. Of these, 71 are included within the Commission’s reserve system, but 32 of these 71 are represented in one park only. Hence these parks can be considered to have special value; without them the Northern Territory would have no formal protection for these environments.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve is the only place where vegetation type 20 (low woodland with grassland understorey, represented by bloodwoods, grasses and spinifex) and vegetation type 55 (Acacia open-forest with open grassland understorey, represented by lancewood/bullwaddy communities) are protected. This small Reserve therefore has Territory-wide conservation significance as it protects part of the largest and least fragmented stand of bullwaddy in the Sturt Plateau region (Figure Five). At the time of writing, this species was not represented elsewhere in the Northern Territory park estate.

These woodlands provide habitat for some of the Territory’s characteristic fauna such as the spectacled hare-wallaby (L. conspicillatus), giant frog (Cyclorana australis) and northern nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera). The declaration of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve was given further impetus after a recommendation in the 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes (Wildlife Australia, 1996) for the increased protection of lancewood/bullwaddy communities of the Northern Territory specifically in relation to the spectacled hare-wallaby.

The Reserve will have a scientific focus aimed at improving knowledge of the flora and associated fauna and the processes acting on this environment. During the life

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 14 of this Plan the Commission aims to encourage and promote scientific research and monitoring within the Reserve. Extensive field work to increase the species list for both plants and animals will be undertaken.

The Reserve will not be developed or managed to cater for tourism. The provision of interpretation panels for day use visitors will aim to educate the public regarding this significant tract of vegetation and outline the management objectives of the Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Figure Five: Bullwaddy thicket (taken from Adam, 1999)

1.5 Regional Context

The National Reserves System developed by the Commonwealth Government in the early 1990s aims at “establishing a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of protected areas to conserve Australia’s biodiversity” (Thackway and Cresswell, 1995). As an aid in the achievement of this Australia has been divided into 80 biogeographical regions (bioregions). These regions are classified according to recognisable similarities in landform, geology, flora and fauna.

Eight of Australia’s ten least protected bioregions lie entirely or partly within the Northern Territory. Lack of, or inadequate reservation within these bioregions can be primarily attributed to the development of pastoralism as an enterprise more viable in the area than conservation or because the area is Aboriginal land for which no formal reservation agreement has been negotiated. Amongst these unreserved or poorly reserved bioregions is the Sturt Plateau bioregion, encompassing Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve (Map Four).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 15 . DalyKATHERINE Basin

Elsey National Park Victoria Bonaparte

Gulf Fall and Uplands

Sturt Plateau

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Gulf Coastal

Ord-Victoria Plains Map Datum: AGD66 Map Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic

Sources: Bioregional data, Cadastral data and topographic data obtained from the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment.

Map Four. Bioregions of the Katherine Region

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 16 The Sturt Plateau bioregion comprises 99 719 km2 and falls solely within the Northern Territory. Previous to the declaration of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve, 0.09% of this bioregion had been reserved, represented by the south-western section of Elsey National Park. The current reserve system does not include representations of the range of environments within the bioregion. With the declaration of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve this figure increased to 0.12%.

Although suitable habitat for a number of species of conservation interest occurs within the bioregion, the establishment of baseline studies would be necessary to determine the distribution and abundance of these species and to determine the overall conservation significance of the Sturt Plateau. The Sturt Plateau bioregion is listed as a high priority conservation area in the Interim Bioregionalisation of Australia Report 5.1 due to its under-representation and potential biodiversity.

If the pastoral focus in the areas surrounding the Reserve changes or becomes more intensive in its nature, the relative importance of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve will increase. For some of its plant and animal species, Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve may not be sufficient to maintain viable population

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 17 2. MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL VALUES

2.1 Flora

2.1.1 Value

The lancewood/bullwaddy vegetation communities of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve are of scientific interest.

2.1.2 Management Objective

1. To ensure the protection of the Reserve from fire, feral animals and weeds and to better understand the effects of fire on lancewood/bullwaddy communities.

2.1.3 Background

The Northern Territory is represented by 13 broad vegetation types and 112 fine vegetation types. Lancewood/bullwaddy communities are classified under the broad vegetation type of Acacia woodland which can be dominated by a number of species depending on location. These woodlands are dominated by lancewood and bullwaddy in the Sturt Plateau, Gulf Falls and Victoria River District of the Top End. Less than 1% of this broad vegetation type is reserved in the Park estate.

The fine vegetation types within Acacia woodlands are also poorly reserved. The vegetation types represented in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve were previously unreserved in the Northern Territory.

Lancewood forests and woodlands are by far the most extensive Acacia dominated communities in the northern NT. They occur in regions with between 500mm and 700mm of annual rainfall on clay soil plains, and on laterite breakaways. In the Sturt Plateau, groves of lancewood form a mosaic with eucalypt open woodlands. The lancewood stands are often very dense, with a few shrubs growing below the upper storey and a generally sparse ground layer dominated by annual grasses. Lancewood is believed to be obligate seeders and therefore sensitive to frequent burning (Fisher, unpublished data).

Patches of lancewood in the Victoria River and Gulf District appear to be declining (Latz, 1989), although there is little evidence of rapid decline in the Sturt Plateau area. Lancewood stands are relatively species poor for both associated plants and vertebrates (Woinarski and Fisher, 1995).

Bullwaddy is an unusual plant, with a multi-stemmed habit and very small leaves densely crowded along the branches. It is technically a shrub, although plants can grow to around 6 metres tall and individual stems are quite massive. The wood is very dense and heavy.

Within Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve, bullwaddy stands seem to occur in run-on locations (depressions or lower slopes) where soils are more clayey.

Bullwaddy is also found as scattered trees throughout lancewood woodlands, and extensive stands occur on red sandy soils. A variety of twiners and annual herbs

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 18 with rainforest affinities grow in and under the shady bullwaddy canopies. Bullwaddy thickets appear to be a favoured habitat for Spectacled Hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus leichardtii) and the dead stems also provide habitat for a number of lizard species.

Bullwaddy communities are extremely sensitive to frequent, intensive fires. Managed fire regimes are imperative if the integrity of the stands is to be maintained. Inappropriate fire regimes may lead to community succession from bullwaddy through lancewood to a eucalypt dominated woodland. This process may be accelerated or exacerbated by the invasion of exotic pasture grasses such as buffel grass.

Although it is a very distinctive shrub and one of the dominant plant species in the area, virtually nothing is known about the ecology of bullwaddy. Young (small) plants seem to be very rare, despite the fact that the trees flower and seed prolifically, suggesting that recruitment of new individuals is infrequent and maybe episodic. Many of the plants give the appearance of great age, although there are no data to support this (Fisher, unpublished data).

The other major vegetation types in the Reserve are eucalypt woodlands or open woodlands. On the higher gravelly areas Corymbia dichromophloia dominates, with a spinifex (Triodia bitextura) or perennial tussock grass (Chrysopogon fallax) understorey.

There are currently 243 species of plants recorded in the Reserve. One species found within the Reserve (Ipomoea argillicola) is listed as near threatened and another five species are listed as data deficient. Lancewood/bullwaddy communities, although not listed as of conservation interest, are of significance as they are restricted in distribution and representation.

Further surveying in 2001 uncovered an additional seven taxa that were previously unreserved in the Park estate. These species are: Goodenia viscidula, Dodonaea stenophylla, Aristida calycina, A. queenslandica, Lepturus xerophilus, Panicum latzii and Paspalidium gracile (Fisher,unpublished data). Continued research during the life of this plan may uncover other species not currently listed for the Reserve as sampling effort has been biased to areas in the north and east of the Reserve to date.

The Reserve is not currently experiencing major pressure from weed invasion. Species that have been recorded to date: Hyptis suaveolens (hyptis), Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass), Urochloa mosambicensi (sabi grass), Melochia pyramidata, Eragrostis amabilis, Stylosanthes hamata (Carribean stylo), Melinis repens (red natal grass), Bidens bipinnata and B. pilosa (cobbler’s peg).

Amungee Mungee Station which borders the Reserve is currently used as a stop over point for cattle travelling from the Gulf Region. As the weed species Parkinsonia aculeata (parkinsonia) and Xanthium spinosum (noogoora burr) are established in the Gulf Region, there is potential for these species to be transported via vehicle or beast along the Carpentaria Highway. There is potential for these weed species to become established in areas bordering the Reserve.

Mission grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) is also already established along the Carpentaria Highway and may in the future become transported into the Reserve via vehicles or humans.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 19 Approval has been granted for the present owner to commence land clearing for the introduction of improved pasture to increase carrying capacity. Under the granted approval the Commission has requested that Amungee Mungee Station retains a 1 km buffer of uncleared land around the Reserve’s border.

2.1.4 Management Actions

1. Maintain a fire break around the Reserve. 2. Expand the current flora list by collecting and identifying species in conjunction with fauna surveys. 3. Implement the Reserve’s fire management strategy (see 4.1). 4. Implement the Reserve’s weed management strategy (see 4.2). 5. Implement the Reserve’s feral animal management strategy (see 4.3). 6. Monitor for any increase cover or spread of grass, particularly exotic grasses.

2.2. Fauna

2.2.1 Value

There are a number of species associated with lancewood/bullwaddy communities which warrant further investigation.

2.2.2 Management objectives

1. To increase understanding of the Reserve’s fauna. 2. To maintain the current number and type of species within the Reserve.

2.2.3 Background

The fauna of Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve is currently known to contain 78 bird, 33 reptile, 11 mammal and six frog species. Due to the recent declaration of the Reserve, fauna surveys have been limited. Survey work has also concentrated on various sectors of the Reserve, thus sampling effort over the entire Reserve is currently biased.

Birds Of the species recorded to date, the Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) is considered vulnerable and the bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) is classified as near threatened. Although the Australian bustard has been recorded in many parks and reserves across the Territory, its highly mobile habits mean very few parks or reserves contain breeding populations or populations that are permanent throughout the year.

Reptiles One reptile recorded in the Reserve, the black tailed monitor (Varanus tristis) is listed as data deficient because of the potentially serious impacts of cane toads on its conservation status.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 20 Mammals Both the spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus leichardtii) and northern nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera) are classified as near threatened. Under the 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes the spectacled hare-wallaby is classified as lower risk (near threatened). Preliminary research suggests an association between the hare-wallaby and bullwaddy communities. Distribution of the spectacled hare-wallaby is patchy and limited to the northern half of Australia, having previously occupied almost half of the Australian continent. In the Northern Territory, the species is listed as common in suitable habitat between 16 and 18S.

Suitable habitat for the spectacled hare-wallaby in the Northern Territory includes lancewood/bullwaddy communities with an open understorey such as that found in Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve. This species is not currently managed under a specific regime, although the 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes suggested the following managed actions in relation to this species:

1. Regular surveys to monitor any changes in distribution or abundance. 2. Determine factors threatening populations. 3. Detailed ecological studies (ie., habitat requirements, home range, dispersal patterns, social organisation, reproductive physiology, natural cycles in population size). 4. Study effects of introduced predators such as cats.

Frogs Of the three species of frog currently listed for the Reserve, the giant frog (Cyclorana australis) is listed as data deficient because of the potentially serious impacts of cane toads on its conservation status.

Although there is no distinctive vertebrate community associated with the bullwaddy/lancewood vegetation type. Three ground-foraging birds are clearly associated with lancewood thickets in this region, the apostlebird, hooded robin and grey-crowned babbler (Woinarksi and Fisher 1995).

Feral animals Five feral animals have been recorded for the Reserve: cane toad, donkey, horse, cat and cattle. There is potential for the cane toad to negatively affect a number of reptiles, particularly the monitor Varanus tristis.

There are incidental records for donkey, horse and cattle within the Reserve. The impact of these species is minimal, as numbers tend to be low and episodic.

2.2.4 Management Actions

1. To carry out fauna surveys, initially for each season, and thereafter where funds and resources allow, to establish a comprehensive species list. 2. Construct and maintain exclusion fencing around the Reserve. 3. Implement the Reserve’s fire management strategy (see 4.1). 4. Implement the Reserve’s weed management strategy (see 4.2). 5. Implement the Reserve’s feral animal management strategy (see 4.3).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 21 3. MANAGEMENT OF VISITOR VALUES

3.1 Visitor Use

3.1.1 Value

Providing visitors with a roadside stop between Daly Waters and Cape Crawford and providing interpretative material regarding the Reserve’s value.

3.3.2 Management objectives

1. To provide appropriate, functional, well-presented facilities in accordance with the Reserve’s character. 2. To provide appropriate educational interpretation material to encourage visitors’ understanding of the Reserve’s scientific value. 3. To ensure visitor impacts do not erode the natural values of the Reserve and are contained in the sector of the Reserve designated for visitor use. 4. Determine the most appropriate area for the installation of day use facilities and a short walking track.

3.1.3 Background

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve provides an excellent opportunity to capture and educate visitors travelling along the Carpentaria Highway. At present, there are limited opportunities for visitors travelling along the highway to pull off the road and take a break.

Although the Reserve will not cater primarily for visitors, there is potential for the development of a road side stop within or near the Reserve, providing visitors with picnic facilities. It is envisaged that a day use area will be established on the edge of the Reserve alongside the Carpentaria Highway. This area will include picnic tables and interpretive signage, outlining the importance of the Reserve in terms of conservation and providing information to help visitors identify the dominant species of flora and fauna.

There is provision also for a short walking track.

3.1.4 Management actions

1. Finalise a concept plan for the development of the day use area. 2. Install day use facilities and interpretive signage in accordance with the concept plan.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 22 4. KEY NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

A number of key natural resource management programs are conducted within the Reserve including the fire, weed and exotic animal species management programs. These programs form the basis of most management activities in the Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve and are conducted in accordance with annually reviewed strategies.

Development and implementation of these strategies are guided by the following general management objectives and guidelines.

4.1 Fire Management Program

4.1.1 Management Objectives

1. To protect native plants, animals and the natural environment and minimise detrimental impacts of wildfires on the environment of the Reserve. 2. To protect people, personal property and assets from harm due to fire. 3. To improve scientific understanding of the role of fire in the Reserve and to use this knowledge for improved fire management practices. 4. To establish, with respect to the management of fire, a cooperative working relationship with neighbours.

4.1.2 Management Directions

1. The management of fire will be given high priority as a key mechanism for protecting and managing native plants, animals and the natural environment in the Reserve. 2. Fire management activities will follow sound strategic planning principles with decisions and actions based on the best information available. The general direction of the fire management program for the Reserve will be established through annual review. Specific attention in planning and implementing the program will be given to:  Protection of native plants, animals and the natural environment;  Minimising impact on the recreational and aesthetic values and ensuring the protection of people, personal property and park assets;  Identification of cultural resources that may be damaged by fire and adoption of strategies to ensure their protection;  Systematic monitoring with the aim of achieving better understanding of fire- habitat relationships and more informed fire management in the future; and  Staff and visitor safety. 3. Efforts will be made to minimise the risk of wildfire incursions and will include cooperation with neighboring landholders. 4. Restrictions on the lighting of fires may be applied in accordance with the Bushfires Act. 5. Visitor access to all or part of the Reserve may be regulated or restricted in times of high to extreme fire danger.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 23 4.2 Weed Management Program

4.2.1 Management Objective

1. To minimise the impact of weeds on the native plants, animals and natural environment of the Reserve.

4.2.2 Management Directions

1. Managers will seek to significantly reduce the impact of weeds on the native plants, animals and natural environment of the Reserve. 2. Weed control activities will be outlined in the weed management strategy and will be based on a strategic approach that gives attention to the following:  criteria for assessing priority such as threat to rare or sensitive habitats, aesthetic and recreational impacts, status under legislation and probability of long-term success;  assessment of the impact of weeds, and of a range of possible mitigation measures;  monitoring and maintenance of identified priority weed-free areas;  control options best suited to different species and conditions, including burning, slashing, physical removal and chemical methods;  the ecology and life cycle of target weed species;  education and cooperation of neighbours and visitors in minimising the risk of weed spread;  minimising the risk of seed spread during and after control activities;  staff training and safety standards; and  A weed monitoring program that includes the collation of data, allowing for comparisons of data across the years.

4.3 Exotic Animal Species Control Program

4.3.1 Management Objective

1. To minimise the impact of exotic animals on the native plants, animals and natural environment of the Reserve.

4.3.2 Management Directions

1. Managers will seek to reduce or eliminate the impact of exotic animals on the native plants, animals and natural environment of the Reserve. 2. Exotic animal control activities will be outlined in the Reserve’s feral animal management strategy and will be based on a strategic approach to the control of exotic animals with attention being directed at:  the ecology and behaviour of feral animals;  assessment of the impact of exotic animals, and of a range of possible mitigation measures;  staff competencies and training requirements;

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 24  the interests of stakeholders and neighbours;  safety of staff and Reserve visitors; and  Feral animal monitoring program.

5. PARK ADMINISTRATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve is an ‘unmanned’ reserve managed by the Gulf District staff based in the Mataranka Office. The Reserve has limited facilities however this plan provides for the establishment of a day use area with picnic tables and interpretive signs. The main visitor safety issues include potential dehydration and sunburn. In implementing natural resource management programs in the Reserve Parks and Wildlife work closely with neighbours. Such cooperation is an essential element of the Reserve’s fire, weed and feral animal management strategies.

The administration of the Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve will be guided by the following set of general principles:

General Principles

 Park management should be conducted within a framework of effective and efficient use of resources, and should be outcome oriented.  Effective park management is dependent upon the selection of competent staff and their continued professional development and training.  Park management benefits substantially from the involvement of stakeholders and the general public.  Volunteers can make a major contribution to park management and assist in making scarce resources go further.  The safety of visitors is of paramount importance in the management of the Reserve.

Within the Reserve, the application of the above principles is focussed on the following areas:

5.1. General Administration

5.1.1 Management Objectives

1. To provide responsible management and appropriate and efficient administration of the Reserve. 2. To maximise the safety of visitors and staff.

5.1.2 Management Directions

1. Wherever appropriate contract services will be used for general visitor facility maintenance and visitor services.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 25 2. Essential natural resource management programs will be carried out with close cooperation and liaison with surrounding landholders and managers. 3. All major facility developments for both visitors and park administration will be subject to environmental assessment to ensure appropriate siting and to minimise damage to the natural and cultural resources of the park. Such developments will be in accordance with the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act. 4. Emergency Response Procedures will be carried out in accordance with the Service’s Emergency Response Standard Operating Procedures. 5. Visitor information, including signs and interpretation material will inform visitors of potential safety hazards and appropriate precautions. 6. Operations for the exploration and recovery of minerals may be permitted in accordance with the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and Mining Act, and current administrative arrangements between the Parks and Wildlife Commission, the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment and the Department of Mines and Energy. These arrangements will be monitored to ensure that they provide for protection of key park values.

5.2 Stakeholder Engagement

5.2.1 Management Objectives

1. To ensure adequate and appropriate consultation and representation of stakeholders interests in the management of the Reserve. 2. To foster the involvement of stakeholders in relevant areas of park management. 3. To establish effective mechanisms for consultation with the key stakeholders. 4. To engender a positive community attitude to the Reserve.

5.2.2 Management Directions

1. The Parks and Wildlife Commission will be mindful of the need to keep the community and park stakeholders involved and informed with regard to all issues and proposed developments of mutual interest. Any community involvement initiatives that will assist achievement of the park’s management objectives will be supported. 2. Park staff will regularly liaise with its neighbours in relation to cooperative management in the use and control of fire, control of stock and feral animals, weed control, soil conservation, fences, aspects of Aboriginal interest, visitor access and tourism development. 3. Annual assessment of stakeholder liaison will be undertaken for the Reserve. 4. Aboriginal people and others with traditional affiliations with the Reserve will be invited to take part in management advisory activities. 5. Stakeholder engagement and will be a consultative process that is ongoing, open, accountable and accessible to the parties involved. Effective consultation and involvement will also be facilitated with ongoing education of park staff of the need to consult.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 26 6. IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

YEAR VALUE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS 12345678910 2. Management of Natural Values

2.1 Flora 1. Maintain a fire break around the Reserve. 2. Expand the current flora list by collecting and identifying species in conjunction with fauna surveys. 3. Implement the Reserve’s fire management strategy. 4. Implement the Reserve’s weed management strategy. 5. Implement the Reserve’s feral animal management strategy. 6. Monitor for any increase cover or spread of grass, particularly exotic grass.

2.2 Fauna 1. Carry out fauna surveys during each season for the first year, and thereafter as funds and resources allow, to establish a comprehensive species list. 2. Construct and maintain stock exclusion fencing. 3. Implement the Reserve’s fire management strategy. 4. Implement the Reserve’s weed management strategy. 5. Implement the Reserve’s feral animal management strategy. 3. Management of Visitor Values

3.1 Visitor Use 1. Finalise a concept plan for the development of the day use area. 2. Install day use facilities and interpretive signage in accordance with the concept plan.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 27 7. REFERENCES

Adam, P. (1999) Australian Rainforests. Oxford Biogeography Series, No.6. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

ANZECC, (2000). Best Practice in Protected Area Management Planning, ANZECC Working Group on National Parks and Protected Area Management Benchmarking and Best Practice Program. Lead Agency, Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania.

Brocklehurst, P. (1991) Lancewood Survey of the Northern Territory. Part 3. Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston.

Bureau of Rural Sciences (2004) Acacia forests. Forest and Vegetation Sciences Scientific Advice. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.

Chambers, A. (1998) Battlers of the Barkly. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton.

Day, K., Siversten, D. and Torlach, D. (1985) Land Resources of the Sturt Plateau, Northern Territory – a reconnaissance land system survey. Land Conservation Unit, CCNT Darwin, NT, Technical Memorandum Number 85/7.

Fisher, A. (1997) Vegetation of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) communities in the Northern Territory.

Fisher, A. (unpublished data) Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve survey data 2001. Unpublished technical report, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT, Berrimah.

Forrest, P. (1997) “Ma’s Bush Pub a Haven for all”, NT News September 9, 1997, Northern Territory.

Hill, J. (2003) Horsebells and Hobblechains. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton, Queensland.

IUCN (2001) IUCN Red List Categories: Version 3.1. Prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

James, B. (1989) No Man’s Land: Women of the Northern Territory. Collins Australia, Sydney.

Karfs, R., Applegate, R., Fisher, R., Lynch, D., Mullin, D., Novelly, P., Peel, L., Richardson, K., Thomas, P. and Wallace, J. (2000) Regional land condition and trend assessment in tropical savannas: The audit rangeland implementation project final report, National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra. 2000.

Latz, P. (1989) Botanical Report on Mainland areas of the Gulf Region. Wildlife Research Report, Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory.

Latz, P. (1995) Bullwaddy Stands in the Gulf. Minute Paper, Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Alice Springs.

Miller, L.A (1999) The Border and Beyond Camooweal 1884. Harrison Printing Company Pty, Ltd. Toowoomba.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 28 Mullin, D. (2001) Enhanced Resource Assessment of the Sturt Plateau Region Land Cover Units, DRAFT. Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, Northern Territory Government, Katherine NT.

Murray. P.F. and Vickers-Rich, P. (2004) Magnificent Mihirungs: the colossal flightless birds of the Australian Dreamtime. Indiana University Press, Indiana.

National Land and Water Resources Audit (2001) Australian Natural Resources Atlas, Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra.

Parks and Wildlife Commission (1996) Northern Territory Parks Masterplan. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT, Palmerston.

Pedley, L. (1990) Combretaceae in George, A.S. (Ed) Flora of Australia 18: 255-293.

Russell-Smith, J. (1991) Classification, species richness and environmental relations of monsoon rainforest in northern Australia. Journal of Vegetation Science 2:259-278.

South Australian Government Gazette (1889) Gazette April 11. South Australian Government Printer.

Thackway, R. and Cresswell, JD. (1995) An Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.

Tuxworth, H. (unknown) Northern Territory Archives Service Oral History Interviews NTRS 226 Bathern Hugh Murray TS9.

Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz (1992). The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 14th December 2000.

Wightman, G, D.Dixon, L.Williams and I.Dalywaters (1992) Mudburra Ethnobotany Aboriginal Plant Use from Kulumindini (Elliot) Northern Australia. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin No. 14. Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Wildlife Australia (1996) “The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes”, edited by S.Maxwell, A.Burbidge and K.Morris for the IUCN/SSC Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group.

Woinarski, J.C.Z. and Fisher, A. (1995) Wildlife of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) thickets and woodlands in northern Australia. 1. Variation in vertebrate species composition across the environmental range occupied by lancewood vegetation in the Northern Territory. Wildlife Research 22:379-411.

Raymond, Pompey. Personal communication 2004.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 29 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 30 APPENDIX ONE

Vegetation mapping for Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve (Fisher, unpublished data)

1. Bullwaddy/Lancewood Thickets

Bullwaddy and Lancewood form either dense or open monospecific thickets as well as combine to form stands with a range of typically rainforest species per Liddle et al. (1994). These three examples are represented here by two communities based on the density of vegetation cover observable on both satellite and aerial photo images. Whilst the topography of the region is generally uniform this habitat favours higher ground. Soils are generally pale to dark brown loam to sandy loam soils. Typical species for the Bullwaddy/Lancewood thickets include Macropteranthes kekwickii (Bullwaddy), Acacia shirleyi (Lancewood), Margitaria dubium-traceyi, Capparis lasiantha, Secamone elliptica, Galactia tenuifolia, Hyposestes floribunda, Ipomoea plebia, Cheilanthes nudiscula, Scleria brownii, Rosetellularia ascendens and the annual and slender perennial grasses Digitaria nematostachya, Digitaria ctenantha, Perotis rara and Enneapogon lindleyanus.

2. Dense Bullwaddy/Lancewood Forest (4 Plots)

Mid high open forests dominated by either Bullwaddy, Lancewood or a mixture of the two. This habitat has little to no midstorey and a sparse understorey of predominantly grasses, ferns and annual herbs. Additional to the above mentioned species Paspalidium rarum is particular to the closed bullwaddy/lancewood community.

3. Open Bullwaddy/Lancewood Forest (5 Plots)

Mid high to tall open forest dominated by Bullwaddy, Lancewood or a mixture of the two, often with other savannah and rainforest species present in the canopy and mid layers. This community differs from closed forest with greater numbers of shrub and tree species, many of which are listed below for the Corymbia dichromophloia woodland.

4. Corymbia dichromophloia Woodland

This community contains two distinct sub-habitats that are not easily distinguished by the satellite imagery. These are mid high Corymbia dichromophloia open woodland over hummock grassland of Triodia bitextura and mid high C. dichromophloia open woodland over mixed perennial grasses. This community occurs on higher ground on sandy loam. The two sub-habitats differ in soil colour with the woodland over hummock grassland favouring pale brown to grey soils whilst the woodland over mixed perennial grasses occurs on red brown soils. Plants characteristic to the C. dichromophloia woodland community as a whole include C. dichromophloia, Grevillea parallela, Terminalia canescens, Hibiscus sturtii, Secamone elliptica, Waltheria indica, Chrysopogon fallax, Sehima nervosum, Setaria surgens, Schizachyrium fragile and Zornia muriculata.

The two sub-habitats differ in a number of ways most notably in species richness, composition and structure.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 31 4.1 Open Corymbia dichromophloia Woodland over hummock grassland

Mid high C. dichromophloia open woodland over Triodia bitextura with a high number of annual grass and herb species. The presence of these annuals results in a higher biodiversity and lower overall cover of this sub-habitat. Some characteristic species differentiating the two C. dichromophloia woodlands include Triodia bitextura, Panicum effusum, Spermacoce brachystema, Polygala longifolia and Murdannia graminea.

4.2 Open C. dichromophloia Woodland over mixed perennial grasses

Mid high C. dichromophloia open woodland over mixed perennial grasses with a greater cover over all strata in particular the tall mid storey and ground layers. Bauhinia cunninghamii and Carissa lanceolata are characteristic of this sub-habitat and contribute to the mid storey. The presence of a number of perennial grasses that also occur in other woodland communities results in the high ground cover of this sub-habitat.

5. Marginal mixed woodland

Mid high woodland to open woodland with no defined dominant species. This community borders Bullwaddy and lancewood thickets in lower elevation areas and contains a mixture of species from neighbouring communities. It is unique in its combination of thicket, open woodland and seasonally waterlogged plant species. A few species only recorded in this habitat include the box Eucalyptus chlorophylla, a swamp grass Eriachne obtusa and the sundew, Drosera indica. It is likely that these species also occur elsewhere within the reserve. The soils recorded for this habitat also vary from the grey clays of lower elevations to brown sandy loam of higher elevation communities.

6. High Cover Woodland

Mid high open woodland of higher elevation areas. This community also comprises of plant species from neighbouring communities but differs from the marginal mixed woodlands by having more plants of thickets and Corymbia dichromophloia woodlands than seasonally inundated areas. Again it is the combination of species rather than any individual plant species that characterises this community. Soils recorded are grey brown loam to sandy loams.

7. Drainage Areas

Mid high to low isolated trees of Eucalyptus microtheca on predominantly heavy soil plains dominated by the perennial grasses Eulalia aurea, Eriachne glauca, Dicanthium sericeum subsp. humilius and Iseilema macrantherum. This community represents the lowest elevation areas. The drainage plains also contain the following plants typical of seasonally inundated clay soil areas Ipomoea argillicola, Neptunia gracilis, Flemengia pauciflora, Rhynchospora subtenuifolia, Schizachyrium pseudeulalia and Scleria novae-hollandiae. All these plants with the exception of the Ipomoea argillicola were exclusively found in this community.

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 32 APPENDIX TWO.

List of vertebrate species recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve.

NT Conservation Scientific name Common name Status FROGS Cyclorana australis Giant Frog Data deficient Cyclorana platycephala Water-holding Frog Litoria bicolor Northern Dwarf Tree Frog Litoria caerulea Green Tree Frog Litoria rubella Desert Tree Frog Litoria pallida Pale Frog

BIRDS Coturnix ypsilophora Brown Quail Turnix maculosa Red-backed Button-quail Turnix velox Little Button-quail Geopelia striata Peaceful Dove Geopelia cuneata Diamond Dove Geopelia humeralis Bar-shouldered Dove Phaps chalcoptera Common Bronzewing Ocyphaps lophotes Crested Pigeon Burhinus grallarius Bush Stone-curlew Near threatened Ardeotis australis Australian Bustard Vulnerable Accipiter fasciatus Brown Goshawk Aquila audax Wedge-tailed Eagle Haliastur sphenurus Whistling Kite Milvus migrans Black Kite Lophoictinia isura Square-tailed Kite Hamirostra melanosternon Black-breasted Buzzard Elanus axillaris Black-shouldered Kite Elanus scriptus Letter-winged Kite Falco berigora Brown Falcon Ninox novaeseelandiae Southern Boobook Psitteuteles versicolor Varied Lorikeet Calyptorhynchus banksii Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Cacatua roseicapilla Galah Nymphicus hollandicus Cockatiel Aprosmictus erythropterus Red-winged Parrot Melopsittacus undulatus Budgerigar Podargus strigoides Tawny Frogmouth Aegotheles cristatus Australian Owlet-nightjar Eurystomus orientalis Dollarbird Dacelo leachii Blue-winged Kookaburra Todiramphus pyrrhopygia Red-backed Kingfisher Merops ornatus Rainbow Bee-eater JAMBA Eurostopodus argus Spotted Nightjar Chrysococcyx basalis Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Centropus phasianinus Pheasant Coucal Rhipidura leucophrys Willie Wagtail Myiagra inquieta Restless Flycatcher Bonn Convention Microeca fascinans Jacky Winter Melanodryas cucullata Hooded Robin

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 33 NT Conservation Scientific name Common name Status Pachycephala rufiventris Rufous Whistler Colluricincla harmonica Grey Shrike-thrush Grallina cyanoleuca Magpie-lark Oreoica gutturalis Crested Bellbird Coracina novaehollandiae Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Lalage sueurii White-winged Triller Pomatostomus temporalis Grey-crowned Babbler Gerygone olivacea White-throated Gerygone Gerygone fusca Western Gerygone Smicrornis brevirostris Weebill Cincloramphus mathewsi Rufous Songlark Malurus lamberti Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus Red-backed Fairy-wren Artamus superciliosus White-browed Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus personatus Masked Woodswallow Artamus cinereus Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus minor Little Woodswallow Daphoenositta chrysoptera Varied Sittella Climacteris melanura Black-tailed Treecreeper Dicaeum hirundinaceum Mistletoebird Pardalotus rubricatus Red-browed Pardalote Certhionyx pectoralis Banded Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta Brown Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis Rufous-throated Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens Singing Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Philemon argenticeps Silver-crowned Friarbird Philemon citreogularis Little Friarbird Taeniopygia bichenovii Double-barred Finch Heteromunia pectoralis Pictorella Mannikin Poephila acuticauda Long-tailed Finch Struthidea cinerea Apostlebird Chlamydera nuchalis Great Bowerbird Corvus orru Torresian Crow Cracticus nigrogularis Pied Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus Grey Butcherbird Pardalotus striatus Striated Pardalote

MAMMALS Lagorchestes conspicillatus leichardtii Spectacled Hare-wallaby Near threatened Onychogalea unguifera Northern Nailtail Wallaby Near threatened Macropus agilis Agile Wallaby Macropus robustus Euro Pteropus scapulatus Little Red Flying-fox Nyctophilus geoffroyi Lesser Long-eared Bat Chalinolobus nigrogriseus Hoary Bat Leggadina lakedownensis Lakeland Downs Mouse Pseudomys delicatulus Delicate Mouse Pseudomys nanus Western Chestnut Mouse Canis familiaris Dingo

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 34 NT Conservation Scientific name Common name Status

REPTILES Diplodactylus ciliaris Spiny-tailed Gecko Diplodactylus conspicillatus Fat-tailed Gecko Diplodactylus stenodactylus Crowned Gecko Gehyra australis Northern Dtella Heteronotia binoei Bynoe's Gecko Oedura rhombifer Zigzag Velvet Gecko Rhynchoedura ornata Beaked Gecko Chlamydosaurus kingii Frilled Lizard Diporiphora bilineata Two-lined Dragon Diporiphora magna Yellow Two-lined Dragon Lophognathus gilberti Gilbert's Dragon Varanus gouldii Sand Goanna Varanus tristis Black tailed Goanna Data deficient Carlia amax Two-spined Rainbow Skink Cryptoblepharus carnabyi Carnaby's Snake-eyed Skink Ctenotus inornatus Plain Ctenotus Ctenotus militaris Military Ctenotus Ctenotus pantherinus Leopard Ctenotus Ctenotus pulchellus Pretty Ctenotus Ctenotus robustus Robust Ctenotus Ctenotus schomburgkii Schomburgk's Ctenotus Ctenotus spaldingi Spalding's Ctenotus Egernia striata Striated Egernia Lerista bipes Two-toed Lerista Lerista griffini Griffin's Lerista Lerista orientalis Eastern Lerista Menetia greyii Grey's Menetia Menetia maini Main's Menetia Morethia storri Storr's Snake-eyed Skink Glaphyromorphus darwiniensis Darwin Skink Glaphyromorphus isolepis Smooth-scaled Skink Ramphotyphlops unguirostris Blind Snake Liasis childreni Children's Python

INTRODUCED SPECIES Bufo marinus Cane toad Bos taurus Cattle Equus caballus Horse Felis catus Cat Equus asinus Donkey

Source: Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve survey (Fisher, unpublished data); Lancewood fauna survey in Woinarski and Fisher (1995); Biological Record Scheme (PWCNT database, 2003); Specimens held by the NT Museum (Darwin, 2003).

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 35 Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 36 APPENDIX THREE.

Flora recorded from Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve

NT Conservation Family Species Status ACANTHACEAE Brunoniella australis Hypoestes floribunda Rostellularia adscendens ADIANTACEAE Cheilanthes nudiuscula Cheilanthes tenuifolia AMARANTHACEAE Gomphrena canescens Ptilotus exaltatus Ptilotus fusiformis Ptilotus polystachyus APOCYNACEAE Carissa lanceolata ASCLEPIADACEAE Marsdenia australis Marsdenia geminata Marsdenia viridiflora Sarcostemma viminale Secamone elliptica ASTERACEAE Blumea saxatilis Centipeda nidiformis Data deficient Pterocaulon serrulatum BIGNONIACEAE Dolichandrone heterophylla BIXACEAE Cochlospermum gregorii BORAGINACEAE Ehretia saligna Heliotropium sp. BRUNONIACEAE Brunonia australis CAESALPINIACEAE Bauhinia cunninghamii Chamaecrista absus Chamaecrista nomame Erythrophleum chlorostachys Senna costata CAPPARACEAE Capparis lasiantha Capparis umbonata Cleome viscosa CARYOPHYLLACEAE Polycarpaea breviflora Polycarpaea corymbosa CELASTRACEAE Denhamia obscura Maytenus cunninghamii COMBRETACEAE Macropteranthes kekwickii Terminalia canescens Terminalia volucris COMMELINACEAE Murdannia graminea CONVOLVULACEAE Bonamia brevifolia Bonamia media Evolvulus alsinoides Ipomoea argillicola Near threatened Ipomoea eriocarpa Ipomoea incisa Ipomoea nil Ipomoea plebeia Ipomoea polymorpha Jacquemontia paniculata Xenostegia tridentata CUCURBITACEAE Cucumis melo CYPERACEAE Bulbostylis barbata Fimbristylis dichotoma Fimbristylis microcarya Rhynchospora subtenuifolia Scleria brownii Scleria novae-hollandiae DROSERACEAE Drosera indica EBENACEAE Diospyros cordifolia Diospyros humilis

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 37 NT Conservation Family Species Status ERYTHROXYLACEAE Erythroxylum ellipticum EUPHORBIACEAE Breynia cernua Euphorbia biconvexa Euphorbia comans Flueggea virosa Margaritaria dubium-traceyi Petalostigma pubescens Phyllanthus carpentariae Phyllanthus exilis Phyllanthus fuernrohrii Phyllanthus hebecarpus Phyllanthus maderaspatensis Phyllanthus virgatus Sauropus trachyspermus FABACEAE Abrus precatorius Crotalaria brevis Crotalaria medicaginea Crotalaria montana Cullen plumosum Desmodium brachypodum Desmodium campylocaulon Flemingia pauciflora Galactia muelleri Galactia tenuiflora Glycine tomentella Indigofera colutea Indigofera linifolia Indigofera trita Rhynchosia minima Sesbania sp. Tephrosia brachyodon Tephrosia leptoclada Tephrosia simplicifolia Uraria lagopodioides Vigna lanceolata ssp. filiformis Vigna lanceolata ssp. lanceolata Zornia muriculata GOODENIACEAE Goodenia hispida Goodenia leiosperma Goodenia viscidula LAURACEAE Cassytha filiformis LILIACEAE Iphigenia indica LOGANIACEAE Mitrasacme micrantha MALVACEAE Abutilon andrewsianum MALVACEAE Abutilon otocarpum Gossypium australe Herissantia crispa Hibiscus meraukensis Hibiscus pentaphyllus Hibiscus sturtii Sida brachypoda Sida D40121 Mt Bundey Sida fibulifera Sida rohlenae Sida subspicata MENISPERMACEAE Tinospora smilacina MIMOSACEAE Acacia difficilis Acacia galioides Acacia gonoclada Acacia hammondii Acacia lysiphloia Acacia oncinocarpa Acacia shirleyi Acacia wickhamii Neptunia gracilis

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 38 NT Conservation Family Species Status MYRTACEAE Calytrix exstipulata Corymbia dichromophloia Corymbia ferruginea Corymbia flavescens Eucalyptus camaldulensis Eucalyptus chlorophylla Eucalyptus distans Eucalyptus leucophloia Eucalyptus microtheca Lophostemon grandiflorus OLEACEAE Jasminum molle POACEAE Alloteropsis semialata Aristida calycina Aristida holathera Aristida hygrometrica Aristida inaequiglumis Aristida latifolia Aristida pruinosa Aristida queenslandica Brachyachne tenella Chrysopogon fallax Cymbopogon bombycinus Dichanthium sericeum Digitaria brownii Digitaria ctenantha Digitaria gibbosa Digitaria nematostachya Enneapogon lindleyanus Enneapogon polyphyllus Enneapogon purpurascens Eragrostis cumingii Eragrostis fallax Eriachne armittii POACEAE Eriachne ciliata Eriachne glauca Eriachne nodosa Eriachne obtusa Eulalia aurea Heteropogon contortus Iseilema macratherum Lepturus xerophilus Data deficient Mnesithea formosa Panicum decompositum Panicum effusum Panicum latzii Data deficient Panicum mindanaense Panicum trichoides Paspalidium gracile Data deficient Paspalidium rarum Perotis rara Pseudoraphis spinescens Schizachyrium fragile Schizachyrium pseudeulalia Sehima nervosum Setaria apiculata Setaria surgens Sorghum intrans Sorghum matarankense Sorghum plumosum Sorghum timorense Sporobolus australasicus Themeda triandra Triodia bitextura Urochloa holosericea Urochloa pubigera

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 39 NT Conservation Family Species Status Whiteochloa airoides Whiteochloa capillipes Yakirra majuscula Yakirra muelleri Data deficient POLYGALACEAE Polygala D25064 Mudginberri Polygala longifolia PORTULACACEAE Portulaca bicolor PROTEACEAE Grevillea parallela Grevillea pteridifolia RHAMNACEAE Alphitonia excelsa Ventilago viminalis RUBIACEAE Gardenia ewartii Oldenlandia mitrasacmoides Spermacoce brachystema Spermacoce stenophylla SANTALACEAE Santalum lanceolatum SAPINDACEAE Atalaya hemiglauca Distichostemon hispidulus Dodonaea lanceolata Dodonaea physocarpa Dodonaea stenophylla SCROPHULARIACEAE Buchnera linearis Stemodia lythrifolia SOLANACEAE Solanum echinatum Solanum ferocissimum STERCULIACEAE Brachychiton diversifolius Brachychiton paradoxus Melhania oblongifolia Waltheria indica THYMELAEACEAE Thecanthes punicea TILIACEAE Corchorus aestuans Corchorus sidoides Corchorus tridens Grewia breviflora Grewia retusifolia VERBENACEAE Premna acuminata VIOLACEAE Hybanthus enneaspermus VITACEAE Cayratia trifolia

WEED SPECIES ASTERACEAE Bidens bipinnata Bidens pilosa FABACEAE Stylosanthes hamata POACEAE Eragrostis amabilis Urochloa mosambicensis Cenchrus ciliaris STERCULIACEAE Melochia pyramidata LAMIACEAE Hyptis suaveolens

Source: Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve survey (Fisher, unpublished data)

Bullwaddy Conservation Reserve Plan of Management 2005. 40